Know Your English (Dec 2001)-3

Know your English

What is the meaning and origin of the expression ``be under the weather"?

When you say that someone is feeling ``under the weather'' what you mean is that the person is unwell; he/she is not feeling particularly good. The individual could be depressed about something. Here are a few examples.

*Lakshmi has been under the weather lately.

*I feel a little under the weather. I think I am coming down with something.

*The meeting has been cancelled.

*The Chairman is a bit under the weather.

There are many people who hate to travel. Even those who like visiting places may not always be good travellers. Some may get ``airsick'', some ``carsick'' and others ``seasick''. The expression ``under the weather'', which has been part of the English language for several hundred years, comes from the world of sailing. People who go on a cruise often find that the constant rocking motion of the ship makes them violently sick — they keep vomiting all the time. When the weather gets really rough, the ship rocks and sways so violently that people throw up even more. Passengers who are unable to cope with the swaying motion are often sent below deck. There are two reasons for this. The first of course is that they will be away from the inclement weather, but perhaps much more important is that the swaying motion of the ship is felt far less below. I understand that on a ship the swaying motion is felt most on the deck; while little or no swaying is felt near the keel, which is near the bottom of the ship. This is one of the explanations given as to the origin of the idiom 'under the weather'.

Source:

The Hindu daily, Tuesday, Dec 18, 2001